Cyrits coplantz



No. 6I2,02I. Patented Oct. II, !898.

C. COPLANTZ.

CAR FENDER.

(Application fllad May 31, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Eli

UNITED STAT S rrr cno PATENT CYRUS COPLANTZ, OF JOLIET, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HUGH L. COPLANTZ AND FRANK E. OHEESMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,021, dated October 11, 1898.

Application filed May 31, 1898. Serial No. [382,098. (No model.)

To all whom it may concrn:

Be it known that I, CYRUS COPLANTZ, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at J oliet, in the county of Till and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention re'lates to certain improvements in car-fenders designed more particularly for use on street-cars, which improvements are fully set forth and explained in the following specification and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference thereon, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the fender as it would appear attached to a car. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the fender as it would appear attached to a car, a portion of the dashboard of the car being broken away. Fig. 3

is a perspective View of the lifting-lever and a portion of the cross lifting-bar of the fender, and Fig. :tis a perspective View of a footlatch for detachably supporting the fender.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a portion of one end of a street-car havingthe ordinary projecting platform-sills B secured to the under side or bottom of the car in the ordinary manner.

C C are a pair of parallel bars having their inner ends respectively pivotally connected to brackets D depending from the sills B, and located under the end of the car, While the forward projecting ends of said bars C extend a short distance beyond the dashboard E of the car and are connected at their forward ends by means of a cross-beam C'.

P is a cross-roller having its ends journaled respectively in the boxes O, attached, respectively, to the under side of the bars C, near their outer ends.

J is a cross lifting-bar having depending arms K located, respectively, one at each end of said bar and passing through proper apertures in the car-platform and respectively pivotally connected to the bars C C, near their forward ends, as shown in Fig. 1. A coilspring N is sleeved on said depending arms, respectively, between the sill B and bar C for the purpose of spring-pressing the forward part of the fender down to its work.

L is a lifting-lever arranged on the car-platform in suitable boxes V in such manner that its bent inner end T may be under the bar C and so that when said lever is raised to the position shown in the broken lines in Fig. 2 the fender will be elevated to the position shown in Figs. l and 2. 6o

F is a latch having its upper end pivotally connected to the dashboard of the car and in such manner as to swing within certain limits in the direction of the length of the car. Said latch is provided on its side toward the cross-bar J with a ledge S, which will pass under and support said cross-bar J and the parts attached thereto when lever L T has lifted them, as shown in Fig. 1 and after they are so supported the lever L T may be let down to lie on the car-platform, as shown in Fig. 2. The said latch F is provided with a barrel G for carrying a coil-spring, which stands against the dashboard Eand yieldingly holds said latch out against said crossbar J for the purpose of causing said ledge S to pass under bar J whenever it is raised sufficiently high. The lower. end of latch F is made wider than its upper part for the purpose of presenting a large surface for the car-driver to press against with his foot in order to press said latch backward to release it from bar J, so the fender may quickly fall at its forward end, so its roller P will rest and roll upon the rails of the road. p

O is an apron, preferably made of canvas, the upper edge of which is Secured to the foot of the dashboard, and its lower edge is securecl to the cross-bar C', which canvas apron is for the purpose of catching and carrying any object that may fall upon it or may be caught up by it as the car is moving. A hole in the canvas apron permits the draw-bar R to protrude.

In operation it is intended that when the car-driver sees any person or object on the track in danger of being run over by the car he may press his foot against the lower part of the latch F and cause it to move backward and drop the fender instantly to the position shown in the broken lines in Fig. l, so its roller P will rest and roll on the rails of the IOO road. The lever L T is intended to lie down on the car-p1atform, as shown in Fg. 2, so the tender may drop, as stated, and is only used to return the fender back to its first position and then be laid down out of the way, so the fender may drop whenreleased from said Iatch. The person or object on the track is intended to fall upon the apron O' and be held and carried until the car can be stopped and it be lifted oif.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as foilows, to wt:

1. The car-fendershown and described consisting of the combination with the car of the two parallel bars C, C, arranged beneath the car-platform and having their inner ends pivotally attached to the under part of the carplatform, and having their forward ends extend a short distance forward of the car-platform, the roller P carried by said bars the cross-bar C' for connecting the outer ends of said bars C, C, the flexibie apron O' for connecting the cross-bar C' and the forward end of the car-platform, the lifting-bar J having the depending arms K arranged to pass through the car platform and respectively pivotally attach to bars C, C, the coil-springs N respectively sleeved on arms K between the said bars O O and the car-platform, the lever L, T, pivotally attached to the top of the car-platform under lifting-bar J, and the latch F having its upper end pivotally attached to the dashboard E and having the ledge S for detachably supporting said lifting-bar and the parts connected therewith, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In the car-fender shown and described, the combination of the frame having its rear end pivotally attached to the under side of the car, the lifting-bar J having the depending arms K pivotally connected to said frane, the coil-springs N sleeved on said arms between said frame and the car-platform, the lever L, T, for lifting the forward end of said frame and the foot-latch for detachably supporting the forward part of said frame, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CYRUS COPLANTZ.

Witnesses:

TI-Ios. II. HUTCHTNS, IL OOWELL. 

